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[webfact]

SOCIAL NETWORK
Mae Wong battle goes online
Asina Pornwasin
The Nation

Social media buzzing with campaign against Nakhon Sawan Dam project

BANGKOK: -- SOCIAL MEDIA is playing a key role in the battle waged by local residents against construction of the Mae Wong Dam in Nakhon Sawan. Over the past two weeks, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have been buzzing with messages, photos, info-graphics and video posted by anti-Mae Wong Dam campaigners.

The campaign was initiated by the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation when its secretary-general Sasin Chalermlarp began a protest march, walking the 388 kilometres from Mae Wong to Bangkok.

The 12-day march ended with a rally in Bangkok on Sunday, but the battle against the dam is continuing through social media, where support for the campaign is growing.

At the forefront of the online protest are the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation sites at https://www.facebook.com/SeubNakhasathienFD and Instagram/beubfd.

Among its key supporters are author Chiranan Pitpreecha, the 1989 SEA Write Award winner and leading figure of the 1970s student movement, and her son, Wannasingh Prasertkul. Both have shown their strong opposition to the Mae Wong Dam, both online and at the protest rally.

Academics have also added to the growing anti-dam campaign on the Net. Many of its supporters have changed their profile photo on Facebook so that it reads "NO DAM", while the number of "Likes" for the protest's activities is large and growing.

A video publicising the campaign, created by the College of Social Communication Innovation, Srinakharinwirot University, has been viewed more than 82,000 times since being posted on YouTube (

) in September last year.

Activists argue that the mainstream media has paid little attention to the Mae Wong Dam project and the harm it would cause to residents and the environment, which is why they launched the social-media campaign.

The added bonus in terms of publicity is that the reach of social media is not limited to Thailand. The powerful and borderless online campaigning is now being seen by people around the world.

The 388km march by Seub Nakhasathien Foundation's Chalermlarp has ended, but the protest is still going strong. Social media is now its main channel of communication, reaching out beyond the Mae Wong community and gathering supporters from Thailand and farther afield.

The campaign against the Mae Wong Dam is just one more example of how the public is now being empowered by information from alternative channels, without having to wait for the mainstream media to catch up.


-- The Nation 2013-09-24

[Dr Robert]

the democratizing potential of social media writ large...genie's out of the bottle and the message reads "dictatorships are dead"

[Pib]

Would be nice if it was true that social media will do away with dictatorships. Unfortunately, dictators will continue in this world...it's just they will need to also control the social media in their country via harsh laws, blocking sites, or just turning off the internet switch in their country if required. Social media is no magic bullet to kill dictatorships.

[webfact]

PM Yingluck: Joint decision needed on Mae Wong dam
By English News

BANGKOK, Sept 24 – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stressed that public opinion is vital to the government’s decision on building the Mae Wong dam in Nakhon Sawan.

Referring to a protest against the dam, she said the government would be willing to listen to people in the area and would gather their opinions for a collective decision.

She said a reservoir would benefit agriculture and prevent flooding, but construction would affect the environment.

The Irrigation Department has conducted an environmental impact assessment at a certain level but local residents want the assessment to cover wider areas, she said, adding that the government would listen to the people before a joint decision is made. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-09-24

[trainman34014]

The way things are going i can see this Government blocking Facebook, Youtube and a whole raft of other social networks. They must be getting very agitated about the growing number of revelations that are cropping up one way and another. Mind you; if they do start blocking that in itself could cause a major civil disturbance. Tune in for the next exciting episode.

[chainarong]

The way things are going i can see this Government blocking Facebook, Youtube and a whole raft of other social networks. They must be getting very agitated about the growing number of revelations that are cropping up one way and another. Mind you; if they do start blocking that in itself could cause a major civil disturbance. Tune in for the next exciting episode.

One reaction causes another reaction, probably why they haven't blocked the social networks also it would be hard for Thaskin to issue daily instructions.

[Spare]

No more dams should be built. It short of electricity, go nuclear. It is much cheaper and does not kill the fish.

[billd766]

No more dams should be built. It short of electricity, go nuclear. It is much cheaper and does not kill the fish.

Really?

Tell that to the fishermen off Fukushima in Japan and see what they say about it.

[CHANGOVER]

I hope everyone on TV sign! Stop the dam!

[virtualtraveller]

And in other news Puea Thai get their red lackeys to form a mob in the area 'in support' of the dam. It's a set up.

[drdoom6996]

PM Yingluck: Joint decision needed on Mae Wong dam

By English News

BANGKOK, Sept 24 – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stressed that public opinion is vital to the government’s decision on building the Mae Wong dam in Nakhon Sawan.

Referring to a protest against the dam, she said the government would be willing to listen to people in the area and would gather their opinions for a collective decision.

She said a reservoir would benefit agriculture and prevent flooding, but construction would affect the environment.

The Irrigation Department has conducted an environmental impact assessment at a certain level but local residents want the assessment to cover wider areas, she said, adding that the government would listen to the people before a joint decision is made. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-09-24

And I ask has PM YL or the PTP ever worried about the peoples opinion?

[RubbaJohnny]

No discussion of Wong subjects

[slapout]

As long as the verbally abusive "Plod" continue to taunt the people who will be affected, logical reasoning is not going to happen.

To task the irrigation department to provide a unbaised environamental study, does indicate that as "Plod" says, we are going to do this project.

The government is getting its way in most of what they have done to date, but if they screw with some off the folks who are fighting this project, they may see another group throwing rocks. We are seeing protests from the southern regions to the north for various unsatisfied groups. The troups are being spread kind of thin with the propaganda efforts, meeting the demands of disgruntled farmers while trying to keep the troughs topped up.

[Dr Robert]

funny thing is that when the government finally gives a damn, nobody wants it

[RubbaJohnny]

As someone said in Dubai

Quite FRANKly my dear ,I don't give a dam

[ratcatcher]

No more dams should be built. It short of electricity, go nuclear. It is much cheaper and does not kill the fish.

Really?

Tell that to the fishermen off Fukushima in Japan and see what they say about it.

Perhaps their reply would be along these lines.

Fuku shima!!!

[borisloosebrain]

It's hard to see the long term benefit of flooding 12.000 rai of forest.

[nong38]

No more dams should be built. It short of electricity, go nuclear. It is much cheaper and does not kill the fish.

I agree with you about nuclear but do you think Thailand can build to the right standard and maintain a nuclear power station? Look at the roads, the railways and the way they build houses and their idea of finished is 80% to me.

The flood water in Nakhon Sawan has rooted up roads, its just 4" of concrete on level earth, no hardcore or anything, would want a nuclear power station at the end of your road?

Standards all need to rise and risk assesement in likely to flood areas needs to be high on the agenda.

[Johpa]

the democratizing potential of social media writ large...genie's out of the bottle and the message reads "dictatorships are dead"

No, the result has shown that "social media", although expansive, is far too shallow in content to be effective by itself. It does allow very large popoulations to become loosely organized and thus have some temporary power, but smaller groups can react that are far more organized and return to domination.